When will we ever learn that corporal punishment serves no interests but those of the adult's who use it. It is horrible that in places of learning (schools and families) such a practice is still resorted to. If thee was ever to be a zero-tolerance policy employed, it should be on the use of corporal punishment against children.

I teach a college class on "Violence in the World of Children" and students (who are adults) who learn to take a child-centered perspective (learn to see the world through the eyes of children), learn that whatever interferes with 'children's work' of learning about the world (which corporal punishment - the infliction of trauma -- does; learn the value of mutual moral education (adults can learn from children as well as children from adults) and being enlightened witnesses (respecting children's human rights and speaking up when no one will listen to them)quickly learn the folly of corporal punishment. As they practice the above lessons in their interactions with children, they find children more positively responsive. They also find their own lives more rewarding and less filled with conflict.

When will we ever learn.